


Soft Moments in Time

by hostilovi



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:01:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29494722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hostilovi/pseuds/hostilovi
Summary: Revali and Link do the time honored dance of falling in love. Loosely an AU, because Kass is there.
Relationships: Link/Revali (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 63





	Soft Moments in Time

**Author's Note:**

> For Mae.

The first time Link saw Revali, he was flying. He seemed untouchable, a deadly and graceful dancer in the sky above. Link didn’t know the Rito’s name, only that Kass teased him for staring and blushing red while he watched.

_ It’s just the cold _ , he protested futilely.

“Well, not to crush your dreams, Link, but I’d steer clear of that one. He’s sworn off romance until the Calamity is defeated.”

_ His name? _

Kass sighed, shaking his head. “Revali. His name is Revali.”

—

“You can’t be serious.” Revali sneered down the length of his beak at Link, who did his best to remain stone-faced and still. “You really expect me to believe that  _ this  _ is the best the Hylian army has to offer?”

Princess Zelda looked a bit uncomfortable, but persisted. “He really is stronger than he looks…and he was chosen by the sword.”

Revali seemed unconvinced by her words, looking Link up and down. Link only hoped that he could blame his flushed face on the cold, meeting Revali’s sharp golden gaze without flinching.

Finally the Rito turned and walked past them both, feathers accidentally brushing against the bare skin of Link’s hands. “Come along then, I’m not going to be blamed for either of you freezing to death because you came woefully unprepared for our weather.”

Link let Zelda fall into step behind Revali first, and they both followed him up the stairs to one of the stores, the cold wind as biting as his words. Link didn’t pay much attention to the conversation between Revali and Zelda as they stepped inside, instead looking over the heavy clothes with interest, drawn to the one that had accents matching the blue of Revali’s feathers…

Zelda insisted on paying for the both of them, and one of the female Rito’s ushered her away to a private room to change.

Link waited his turn, holding his pile of new clothes tightly to his chest.

“Come with me.”

It was a demand, not a request. Link looked up at Revali questioningly. “We have some things to discuss, seeing as we’ll be fighting together. And knowing them, they’ll be a while with the princess.”   
  


Revali turned on his heel, heading out of the store, not waiting to see if Link would indeed follow him. It was arrogance, not trust. Link knew this. And yet he found himself putting one foot in front of the other, trailing after Revali until he came to a stop in front of a curtained room. 

Revali held aside the curtain for Link to step inside. The room was sparsely furnished. A warrior’s room.

Revali’s room?

Revali brushed past him, picking up one of the finely crafted bows hung on the wall and fussing over it. His back was turned, so Link took this as a signal to change. He tried to do so quickly, thanks to the cold that permeated even this closed off room.

Link was struggling with the last buttons of the overcoat when Revali finally spoke.

“Finished yet?” His back was still politely turned, giving no way for Link to respond. At least not without…

Link stepped forward, reaching up to tap Revali’s shoulder gently. The Rito stiffened slightly at the touch, but turned to face him.

“Hm. Not bad.” Revali gave a short nod of approval. Link resisted the urge to smile or shuffle his feet. “So tell me, soldier. You think you’re capable of wielding that sword?”

_ Yes,  _ Link signed.

“You think you stand a chance against the Calamity?”

_ If we all work together, yes. _

Revali regarded him, eyes bright and alert, studying Link’s face. Whatever he saw there, he nodded his approval once more.

“Tell the princess she can count on me. Oh, but Link...you better not let me down.”

_ I won’t,  _ Link signed to him, making a silent promise.

—

They worked well together, when they weren’t arguing. Kass said he had never seen Revali so bothered by someone--nor had he ever seen Link so animated.

Whatever snide comments Revali made, Link trusted him, implicitly, on the battlefield and off. He didn’t know why, particularly. Revali threw more insults than anything else, and was more prideful than anyone Link had ever met. 

But Revali was also direct. He always knew where he stood, with him.

—

_ Marry me. _

“Excuse me?” Revali squinted at Link’s hands as if he had read them wrong. Link repeated the motions.  _ Marry me. _

“What in the name of--do you have no sense? Do you have straw for brains?” Revali started pacing, talons clicking against the wooden platform. At this hour, they were the only ones at the archery range.

Link waited for an answer.

“You never even asked to court me, and now you’re going to ask for--for  _ that?”  _ Revali scoffed. “You truly do nothing in small measures. You dive in headfirst without a thought to the consequences, you--you ask for  _ everything  _ from me.”

Link waited.

“The world might be destroyed, you know!” Revali spun on Link, pointing at him with the same dramatic flair that Link first was enraptured by. “I don’t have time for such trivialities!”

_ So you won’t? _

“I--” Revali threw up his wings, clearly frustrated. “I never said that.”

_ So you will? _

“I’m not saying that either, you dimwitted Hylian!”

Revali turned again, leaning against the railing of the platform. After a moment, Link got to his feet and stood beside him, staring off into the distant sky.

“I can give you an answer after we’ve won,” Revali finally said, voice soft. “And not a moment before. Are we clear?”

A smile pulled at the edges of Link’s mouth and he nodded his agreement. Revali sighed. His wing feathers just so happened to brush against Link’s hands, the soft kiss of a promise.

—

With the Calamity defeated, Link had thought that things would fall into place, that he would know exactly what to do with his time. Instead he felt more lost than ever before. There was barely time to say farewell to the other Champions before they were gone, headed back to their own lands to rebuild and recuperate.

He was told that Revali came to visit him while he slept off the worst of his injuries, but by the time he was awake, the Rito had already left, leaving behind nothing but a letter addressed to Link.

A letter he had been too afraid to read all week, the barely-there weight of it in his pockets feeling as heavy as stone and steel.

“So what does it say?”

Zelda’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

_ I don’t know. _

Zelda made a thoughtful noise, looking down at the courtyard below. “Well...he doesn’t seem like someone who likes to be kept waiting.”

He wasn’t. Link stood to gain nothing from waiting and yet, here he was. Stuck. He stared down at the wax seal for a long moment, before finally breaking it open.

  
  
  


_ Link, _

_ Yes. _

_ Don’t keep me waiting, idiot. _

  
  
  
  


The letter was unsigned. A slow smile spread across Link’s face.

“Is it good news, then?” Zelda asked.

_ I’m getting married. _

“What?!”

There was no time to waste. Link took off at a sprint to his room to gather the few things he had before heading out.

—

“Link.”

Link turned at the sound of Revali’s voice with a smile, taking the steaming mug of tea he offered.

Together they looked out over the snowy view before them. It had been a year since they had married and started living together.

Somehow, waking up to Revali kicking him out of bed hadn’t gotten old. Nor him braiding Link’s hair, or any of the innumerable things that Revali did on his behalf.

Link bumped his shoulder into Revali, and was met with a fond grumble about not spilling his tea, and wasn’t he, such a weak Hylian, going to catch a cold standing out here? Even as Revali said this, he draped one of his wings around Link, keeping him warm and secure from the chill wind.

In the distance, they watched the sun begin to rise.

It was a new day.

  
  
  
  



End file.
